Rotunda with sun peeking through the trees and two students sitting on a bench out front

For the eighth straight year, Longwood University is a top-ten regional public university in the South, according to the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings out today.

Over the last decade, Longwood has secured a place in the upper echelon of the regional collegiate rankings. This year, Longwood is ranked No. 8 among all regional public universities in the South. This year also marks the fifth straight year of Longwood’s being ranked in the top 25 public and private universities in the South, as well as a climb of 17 spots over the past three years on the Best Value in the South list.

The rankings rise coincides with a continued investment in small classes taught by full-time professors, a course of action few public universities have taken. More than two-thirds of Longwood classes have 20 or fewer students, the highest percentage of any Virginia public college or university. Civitae Core Curriculum classes, the foundational courses that all students take as they develop into citizen leaders, are capped at 25 students.

The source of our strength is our small classes taught by full-time faculty, individual attention for students, and the opportunities for personal and professional growth that can only be found in a residential academic community.

President W. Taylor Reveley IV

“The source of our strength is our small classes taught by full-time faculty, individual attention for students, and the opportunities for personal and professional growth that can only be found in a residential academic community,” said President W. Taylor Reveley IV. “Rankings can never paint a complete picture of life on campus, but they can reflect the kind of meaningful investments in academics and faculty that we have made over the past 10 years at Longwood.”

Longwood’s latest U.S. News ranking–used by millions of high schoolers and families to make decisions about higher education–is bolstered by a climb in the rankings on its Best Schools for Social Mobility list. U.S. News announced that their ratings formula changed this year, favoring metrics like prestige of faculty publications over past measures like alumni donation rates.

The nursing program, which was named the Best BSN Program in the Southeast for 2022 by NursingProcess.org, again made the nationwide U.S. News list, bolstered by its near-perfect pass rate on nursing licensure exams over the past seven years. Longwood’s psychology and undergraduate business programs are also highlighted on nationwide lists.

We have always considered it a great strength of Longwood that students from all walks of life—from those for whom college is a given to those who thought it was out of reach—don’t just earn a degree at this university, they flourish as people.

President W. Taylor Reveley IV

“I’m particularly proud of our measurement on social mobility,” continued Reveley. “We have always considered it a great strength of Longwood that students from all walks of life—from those for whom college is a given to those who thought it was out of reach—don’t just earn a degree at this university, they flourish as people. I’m proud of our continued investment in them and in programs that support their success.”

Longwood was also named one of America’s Best Colleges by Money magazine and is featured on Best College Dorms and Best Value Colleges by Niche.com.

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